


If I Got You

by madryn



Series: huts and flowers [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Aged-Up Character(s), Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Catra (She-Ra)-centric, Catra and Adora Deserve Happiness, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Future Fic, Getting Together, Language of Flowers, POV Catra (She-Ra), Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 22:38:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17537651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madryn/pseuds/madryn
Summary: Ever since Catra, so young and hurt and scared, had whispered 'You promise?' into Adora's ear, she had known that she would do anything to stay by Adora's side.In the aftermath of killing Hordak, Catra has to navigate her way through her rocky relationship with Adora after letting her hurt and her anger fuel her for so many years. Maybe, just maybe, there is still time to make things right between them.  [Spoiler Alert: There is.](This is a prequel to my series 'huts and flowers'.)





	If I Got You

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!!
> 
> so... this is the prequel to my lil series huts and flowers! it ended up getting really long so i'm splitting it up into two parts. :^) the first part can be read fine on its own so i'm going to see how it does and if ppl like the story then i'll upload part 2! leave me ur thoughts hehe
> 
> enjoy! <3

In the time before the end, Catra had truly believed the only way that the war could end was with either her death or Adora's death.

For a long time, it had been hard. The two sides did not really know what they were fighting for, anymore. Too many casualties had happened on both sides, too much blood had been spilled.

It had come to an apex in the final battle. It was chaotic and terrifying out on that battlefield as the two major armies met head to head. Hordak and Adora, turned She-Ra, had fought viciously for what felt like days; the two exchanged gut-wrenching blows and life-threatening wounds in what appeared to be a dance, almost. Adora's ' _For the honor of Grayskull!_ ' had been deafening to hear as she charged into the battlefield, and seeing Adora so small and insignificant alongside the great and mighty Hordak scared Catra.

It was hard for Catra to come to terms with what she had let this turn into. What she had turned into.

Catra had sat there, high above the battlefield, with guilt settling low in her stomach and despair heavy in her heart. She knew that what Adora was doing was right, and she had probably always known that. But, it had hurt. It had hurt when Adora had left her behind without a thought, made new friends without a thought, and allowed her to be hurt without a single thought. Catra had always been in love with Adora. Ever since Catra, so young and hurt and scared, had whispered ' _You promise?_ ' into Adora's ear, she had known that she would do anything to stay by Adora's side.

Catra had said so many terrible things to Adora throughout the years of fighting. So many things that Catra wished she could take back, beg for Adora's forgiveness. Catra would give her all if it meant that she and Adora could go back to that moment, curled around each other and breathing the same air as Adora whispered back, fiercely and protectively, ' _I promise_ '. Catra just wanted Adora back. She wanted to stop fighting; she could not even bring herself to try to make up a reason for continuing to fight and hurt Adora at every step of the way.

Not when all she really wanted was Adora's attention.

Adora's love.

Catra knew it was her fault that things had continued for this long. Not the war, no, _that_ was not her fault. But she knew she had to take the blame for her and Adora's own conflict. Adora had tried at every turn to get Catra to defect to the side of the princesses, but Catra could not do it. Not when every fiber of her being burned with rage and hurt. Not when the very idea of leaving the Fright Zone for good terrified her. Yes, Shadow Weaver was terrible to Catra, but the Fright Zone was all Catra ever had. There were always only two things that Catra could rely on: the Fright Zone being home and Adora being there for her. So when she lost one of those two things, well... Catra's entire being fell apart.

How do you tell the only person that ever cared about you to stay?

Catra figured it would be easier to push Adora away.

It had not been.

But the rage had consumed her. Catra was angry that Adora had left her alone to the abuse that Shadow Weaver dealt. She was angry that Adora had left her behind when she had _promised_! She had promised to always take care of Catra, to protect her and keep her safe from the taunts and the pain that the others dealt her. Catra's worst fear had been realized when Adora left, and she did not know how to cope with something so life altering as her anchor, the very stitching of her soul, leaving her.

So she found comfort in the anger and used it to hurt Adora in return.

The first time her claws had sank deep into the delicate skin of She-Ra's back, Catra had to hold back the vomit that threatened to rise. She had felt the tearing of clothing and skin in slow motion and could not believe that she had become what she had.

And yet, she continued to fight.

She buried her love for Adora and hardened her skin until she could no longer feel, and then became the best subordinate to Hordak that he could have ever dreamt of having.

Why, at the end of everything, could Catra no longer summon that blind rage that had fueled her for so long?

Probably because it finally hit her that there was a very real chance that Adora was going to die. Catra was going to have to watch as Hordak struck that final killing blow to She-Ra. To see the light fade from those beautiful blue eyes as she fell in what would probably appear to be slow motion as Catra's entire world unraveled itself for the second time.

She could not let that happen.

Catra could not let Adora die. Not by Hordak's hands, not by her own, not by anyone's.

It was time to finish the war.

Catra's body was moving before her conscious had fully caught up to the idea, and she slipped and scrambled down the rough rocks into the large canyon that housed the final battle of Hordak and She-Ra. Whoever won now would win forever. Catra could not let Adora lose, and so she ran.

Hordak had equipped her with a sword when she had been promoted to his second. It glowed a deep red and seemed to stay eternally sharp. Catra was grateful for his gift, now.

As she neared the fight, Catra watched as Hordak threw She-Ra across a large expanse of hard dirt. The woman stayed down for a second too long, and Catra realized that the token white outfit she hated so much was quickly enveloping in red. As She-Ra struggled to her feet, she made eye contact with Catra. The giant woman's eyes flickered from a battle hardened glare into one of pure horror as Catra rapidly closed the distance between herself and the two leaders. She-Ra could not stop Hordak when he crushed her wrist beneath one massive boot, nor could she stop him when he wrapped one giant fist around her throat and raised her high off the ground.

"Today," he boomed, his voice ringing out across the canyon and catching everyone's attention. "She-Ra dies!"

The cheering from his people was loud and deafening, even with the sounds of battle.

"No!" She-Ra croaked, her hands coming up to her throat, trying to pull Hordak's hand off of her and trying to breathe. She was failing at both.

"Today, you will all see as your hero chokes on her own blood. Today, you will see your last hope crumble right before your very eyes. Today," Hordak stopped his speech with a confused gargle. He looked down at the sharp red point of the sword that had gone straight through his chest. Thick, metallic blood filled his mouth and his eyes widened as he choked on the thick liquid.

"You're wrong," Catra said, her brain whirling and her hands shaking and her heart breaking. "Today, _you_ lose, Hordak."

The silence was deafening.

Catra's brain was blissfully empty as she and Adora both fell to their knees in front of the other. Adora's eyes were wide and confused, her knees and arms bruised, her clothes bloody and dirty. Catra could only stare back into those beautiful blue eyes as her knees ached and her hands shook. Slowly, Catra pulled her lips up into a dull, lifeless smirk.

"Hey, Adora," she mocked, and then her eyes rolled back as she succumbed to darkness.

______________________

The next time Catra awoke, it was to a cold stone floor and the bars of a prison cell.

Every part of her body was on fire. A migraine pulsed painfully behind her eyes and it felt as if all of her bones were broken. She raised herself up onto her right elbow with a pained grunt, before pushing herself up into a seated position. Catra leaned back heavily against the stone wall behind her, eyes slanted and muscles tensed against the hurt.

At first she could not remember where she was or how she had gotten there.

The memories that flooded into her working memory were not pleasant, but she did not regret her actions. She had killed Hordak. Catra had gone against her people, the Horde, her leader, all for Adora. All for a girl who probably did not love her anymore, a girl who probably only tasted bile when Catra's name came across her tongue. Catra could not force herself to keep living as she had been, with repressed emotions and anger for a subconscious. It was not healthy, and she knew that now - had known that for a long time. She was just finally accepting it.

The finality of Catra's situation crashed down on her in a tidal wave. She was probably going to be killed for everything she had done. She was too powerful, too much of a wildcard to keep alive, and Catra truly did not believe that Adora would save her, not now. Catra did not know if she even wanted to be saved anymore. The truth is that she was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of feeling out of place and worthless. But now she had redeemed herself, partially at least. The thoughts took a toll on her mind, and Catra released them from her body with a deep sigh that left her boneless.

She did not know how long she sat there, alternating between dozing off and staring blankly at the stone floor in front of her. All she knew was that eventually - it could have been hours or days - someone had come for her.

The footsteps that neared her were heavy. Catra's large ears twitched at the sudden disturbance of noise, but she otherwise did not move from her position against the wall.

"Don't try anything." The guard growled, his body covered in armor. He unlocked the door to Catra's cell and walked up to her with aggression pouring off of him in waves. The guard grabbed Catra roughly by her bicep and yanked her into a standing position. The movement caused her to release a gasp of pain as it tugged at her hurts. Either the man did not hear her or more realistically he just did not care, but regardless of which it was he did not stop as he dragged her from her cell and into the hall. "Walk in front of me. If you try anything, I'll break your ankles."

She knew she could have turned around and had him beat in a second, even with her ailments. But, surprisingly, or maybe not so, Catra listened.

The guard led her through a maze of winding paths and up numerous flights of stairs. She walked for so long that she zoned out, her mind elsewhere as she followed the guard's directions on autopilot.

It was not until she saw the light of day that she finally focused back on the present.

Large windows were on either side of her as the guard walked her through the castle that she now recognized as the home of Glimmer, Adora's shorter friend and one of the princesses. The crystal waters around the palace were calm and the trees that Catra had once had a hand in destroying were growing back larger than ever.

The duo reached a set of large wide double doors that had two guards placed on either side. The guard behind Catra raised the mask of his helmet, and the other guards stationed at the door nodded in recognition. Catra was not prepared for the sight behind the door.

Adora was the first person Catra's brain focused on.

She looked beautiful, because of course she did.

She was to Catra's left. Beside her sat Queen Angella, while Glimmer sat on the queen's other side, followed by Bow. The rest of the princesses and other notable nobles sat in chairs to Catra's right, their faces morphing into masks of anger and hatred as they turned towards to the disruption her entrance had caused.

Catra's own face was a blank mask. Even when the guard behind her shoved her to the ground in front of the queen, even when her ears tuned into the hateful words the princesses were spewing in ugly whispers behind her. She was focused on Adora. Adora's face betrayed her emotions, like it always did. Catra envied Adora's ability to wear her emotions on her sleeve.

"I say we _kill_ her!" Someone yelled behind Catra, and suddenly the whispers were not so quiet anymore. The crowd behind her was yelling, screaming, cursing. Cheering for her death in violent spews. As much as she wanted to, she could not begrudge them for their reaction. Catra had probably had a hand in hurting every single person in that crowd, one way or another. The threats thrown her way were gruesome, yet the blank mask remained on her face. Only someone trained to decode Catra's emotions would be able to notice the fear flickering in her eyes, the pain tensing the muscles in her body.

Only Adora noticed her fear and her pain.

" _Stop!_ "

The crowd silenced at once.

At first Catra had thought it was Queen Angella who had yelled the simple command, but when Catra raised her head she saw the surprise on the queen's face as she looked towards-

Adora. The blonde was panting, her face turning red in her anger. She glared out at the people in front of her, looking every bit a petulant child as Catra remembered she had been. But, then Catra blinked and the mirage was skewed and instead she saw Adora as she really was: a leader, a commander.

"I understand your hatred for Catra, I do. I know that she has done terrible things, that she had hurt all of you one way or another. She had hurt me, too. Physically, emotionally... I have been through it. But, I grew up with Catra. I know who she is, deep down. I know the person that she is trying to be. And I can not, in good conscience, sit here and let you hurl death threats at her. Not now, not ever. Say what you want about that, but I will not let any of you hurt Catra." Adora's voice was uncharacteristically cold as she surveyed the people in front of her, but the boom of her voice, the clarity... that was something Catra was used to. That was something she could focus on. Adora turned towards Queen Angella, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders with the abrupt motion. Her voice hardened, and she repeated herself again with perfect clarity: "I will not let _anyone_ hurt her."

A few nobles in the crowd gasped at the display.

It was daring of Adora to speak like that towards the queen of Bright Moon, She-Ra or not.

The queen and the warrior stared at each other for a few solid moments, Angella with a contemplative look in her eye and Adora with a fiery look in her own. The silence of the giant ballroom was ominous, and Catra knew that whatever was decided now would be her fate. It was unclear what exactly that fate was going to be, though.

"Adora has made herself clear," Queen Angella spoke, turning her gaze to focus on Catra. The queen's eyes burned into Catra's own mismatched ones. "Catra is under the protection and care of Adora. Any attack made against her is treasonous. That being said, I would like you all to clear the room. This meeting is adjourned until a later time. Thank you."

The princesses grumbled their anger in quiet tones as they stood and left, shooting fierce and dirty glares in Catra's direction. Catra did not notice, however. Instead, she was sitting in shock at the turn of events. She was not going to be put to death? _Adora_ was going to be the one watching over her? The thought made bile rise in her throat. She would have to explain everything, beg for the blonde's forgiveness, choke on the twisted love that still tumbled around in her stomach...

"Adora, what are you _thinking_?" Glimmer yelled once the doors closed heavily behind the last of the nobles. She stood up in her rage and attempted to advance on Adora, but Bow grabbed her by the hips to hold her back. "Let me go, Bow! What the hell does she think she's doing?"

"Glimmer, please calm down. We can discuss this rationally! There is no need to be yelling right now." Bow tried to reason with the pink and purple haired princess, but to no avail.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down when Adora is making one of the stupidest decisions of her life?" Glimmer yelled back, fire alighting in her eyes.

"What, you would rather I kill Catra?" Adora growled back, her eyes narrowing at the princess.

"Yes!" Glimmer exclaimed, motioning towards where Catra still sat on her knees with her head bowed. "She is a murderer! She is Hordak's right hand commander, it would be better for us to end this now then face the consequences when she betrays us later, Adora! Because you know that she will, she _always_ betrays you."

"Glimmer!" Queen Angella was shocked, to say the least. Her daughter's outburst was erratic and out of character.

"Is that what you truly believe?" Adora's voice crackled like a whip, sharp and dangerous. The tone of her voice was frighteningly calm, and Adora wondered at all war had done to the people in front of her. Untrusting, rageful, and worried. That is who they had become. "You believe that Catra is irredeemable? That you have the right to be her judge, jury, and executioner? Are you truly that conceited?"

"It is not like that and you know it, Adora!" Glimmer cried out. "Why are you twisting my words?"

"Do I know that? Because it seems pretty clear to me what your words were supposed to mean." Adora argued back, her anger simmering just barely beneath the surface of her skin.

"Stop, both of you!" Bow interrupted before Queen Angella had the chance to. "Both of you need to stop this right now. Adora take Catra back to your room. Glimmer, you are coming with me. Both of you need the chance to cool down and think about what you saying and what you mean. Then we can adjourn again when you both can better articulate what you are trying to get across, okay?"

Glimmer glared at Adora for a second longer, before grasping Bow by the hand and pulling him out of the ballroom alongside her. Adora's eyes tracked their movements as they crossed the great room, before turning her attention to the queen.

"I'd like the cuffs to be taken off of Catra," she said.

"Are you sure?" The queen asked, uncertain. When Adora moved to argue, the queen raised a hand and continued to speak. "She is still a mighty warrior and our enemy. I just want you to be positive that this is a logical choice that you are making and not one born out of rage."

"I am sure, Queen Angella." Adora nodded, then lowered her voice. Catra had to strain her ears forward to hear. "Catra killed Hordak to save me. She is not going to do anything here, not anymore. It has been a long time, yes. But the Catra that I know, the Catra that I love... she is still in there, and I think she is finally ready to come back to me. I don't want to jeopardize that."

The queen digested the warrior's words for a moment, before nodding. "If that is what you wish, then I will listen to you. Guard, remove those cuffs. The care of our prisoner is being passed over to Adora, now. Your job here is done."

Although Catra could tell that the guard really did not want to take the cuffs off of her, her listened to the queen. Once the cuffs were off, he headed off and out of the doors much like Glimmer and Bow had done mere minutes prior. Catra rubbed her wrists, only just now realizing how sore they had become from the tightness of the cuffs. When she looked up, it was to see Adora standing in front of her with wide eyes and shaking fingers.

"Come on, Catra. Let's go." Her voice was quiet, soft. Adora hooked a gentle hand through Catra's elbow to link them together, and then started to walk towards a different set of doors that Catra had not noticed earlier. But, something felt off. Catra thought briefly for a moment, before realizing that Adora's gait was different. She was limping, the feline realized. Catra wondered how many bandages and bruises were hidden beneath the blonde's clothes.

They walked in silence for the entire trip to Adora's suite.

Catra had prepared herself to run into a princess or two, but the duo did not encounter a single person as they walked through the curving hallways. She was beyond grateful that there were no more stairs to climb. Catra did not think her knees could handle her weight if she tried.

Adora stopped them outside of a large door, and Catra assumed that they had reached the blonde's room. The former pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door without unlinking her arm from Catra's, and the latter was grateful for it. She did not know if she could continue to stand without a physical link to her anchor, to Adora.

"This is my room," Adora's voice sounded too loud after so much silence, and maybe it was.

"You hate soft beds," was what Catra said, her mouth working faster than her brain. She snapped her jaw shut with a click, but was surprised when Adora let out a surprised laugh at her words.

"I tried to tell them that I hated it, but nobody would listen." Adora's smile died off soon after she finished speaking, and she sighed. Unlinking herself from Catra, Adora went and sat heavily on the edge of the aforementioned bed. Her eyes were pointed at the floor when she spoke again. "What are you doing here, Catra?"

The obvious response bubbled on the tip of Catra's tongue. The sarcastic response of ' _Because I am your prisoner, duh_ ' would have been enough, but Catra could not bring herself to say it. Not when her true feelings swirled so aggressively within her. Not when she has waited four years to be this close to Adora again.

Catra licked her lips, tail flickering. She sunk to the floor, because her knees had begun to hurt far too badly to be standing.

"I miss you." Was what Catra said instead. When Adora's eyes snapped up to meet the her own, Catra could not help but to continue. "I miss you every day, Adora. I have spent so long being angry with you, so long letting my rage and my hurt fuel me to hurt you in return. I can not do this anymore... I _will not_ do this anymore. I miss how we used to be. I miss when it was just me and you."

"How... when did you decide that?" Adora's voice was soft, not mocking in the way Catra half expected it might be. But, that was not Adora, was it?

"When I realized that Hordak was going to kill you. I realized I could not live in a world that did not have you in it, Adora. I've always wanted to stay by your side, ever since the first time Shadow Weaver burned me with her magic and you hugged me close and told me you would never let her do that to me again. Ever since you... ever since you _promised._ " The words tumbled out of Catra's mouth, but she choked on the final word. Four years of pain and four years of missing her best friend weighed heavily on her.

"Oh, Catra," Adora soothed, falling to the ground to cradle Catra in her arms. "It hurt so bad to leave you behind. And then I kept trying to rectify it, to convince you to join me and the princesses. Every time I saw the hurt so plainly on your face I felt terrible... I know that we have both done terrible things to each other in this war, but I don't want us to keep fighting. I want us to heal, together. I miss you, too. More than you could ever know, Catra."

"I don't deserve that, though. I don't deserve to have you taking care of me and letting me stay in your suite with you. Your friend was right, Adora. I _am_ a murderer. Because of me, so many people here have been hurt." Catra was crying into Adora's shoulder now, her arms folded between their bodies and her knees bunched up to her chest. "I don't think there is any good left in me, anymore."

"That is where you are wrong, Catra," Adora murmured into the shorter's ear, breath hitting the sensitive skin in even puffs. "I know that there is good inside of you. You killed Hordak, your leader, for me. You betrayed your entire life's programming to do that. You are strong, and you deserve a second chance, Catra. I can't lose you, not again. No matter what it takes."

"Thank you, Adora." She whispered, eyes wet with tears and body shaking.

"Anything for you," she said, and she meant it.

Adora sat there and continued to rock Catra for awhile longer, before shifting the girl off of her lap and standing. At Catra's confused stare, Adora put up a hand for the other to wait and then disappeared through a different door than the one they had entered in.

When Adora exited, she was carrying a pile of clothes with her.

"Do you want to shower now, Catra? I have a personal bathroom linked to the room that you can use if you would like."

Catra nodded, too tired emotionally and physically to reply.

The feline rose to her feet with the help of Adora's extended hand. She took the clothes that Adora offered her, as her own were dirty with grime and blood and sweat. Adora pointed for her to walk through the door next to the closet, and Catra followed her directions. Closing the door behind her, Catra took a moment to admire the bathroom that she had walked into.

There were a lot of mirrors and shiny surfaces, for one. Catra could not help but stare full-on at her reflection. Her fur was darkened with grim and, in places, sticky with blood. Her clothes were nigh completely destroyed, her aesthetically ripped leggings were now barely hanging on by the strands. Her hair had not been washed in weeks and it showed. Catra let out a quiet hiss between her teeth and began to tear the clothing off of her body. She absolutely hated wasting clothing, but she knew that here was no way to mend them.

The shower dials were not complicated at all, which was a fact that startled her. Catra figured that a giant mighty castle full of highborn nobles would have equally as sophisticated showers, but instead only two dials lay in front of her: the on/off dial and the temperature dial.

She turned the first dial to on and the second dial to hot and waited outside of the shower for it to heat up. She absolutely hated taking long showers and would not suffer through cold water now if she did not have to. Luckily, the shower was quick to heat up and steam started to rise from the cascade of water.

Catra stepped into the shower and sighed in relief. The heat felt great on her sore muscles. She closed her eyes and stood beneath the spray, nigh boneless and relaxed for the first time in a long while. When she opened her eyes, she grabbed a bar of soap sitting precariously on the edge of a tiny shelf and began to scrub her body with fervor. The water at her feet turned orange and brown as the blood and dirt fell away from her fur. The feeling of being clean slowly came to her and she loved it. It had been a long time since she had last felt clean.

When she deemed her fur clean enough, Catra began to work on shampooing her hair. She had a lot of it, and it took a lot of work for her to free it of the tangles and the grease that had become a constant in her life. When she finally felt as though she had cleaned at least a majority of the grime from her body, Catra shut off the shower and stepped out into the steam that remained from her shower.

She hated taking showers, because it left her entire furred body damp and heavy. She sighed, and grabbed a large fluffy towel off of a rack. She then used that towel to scrub at her body in the hopes of drying her fur. Catra worked at drying herself for probably ten minutes before giving up and dressing herself in the clothing Adora had given to her.

Adora had given her a pair of black underwear, black workout shorts, and a soft blue t-shirt. Catra felt mildly exposed in the shorts, but she shoved the feeling down when her tiredness caught back up to her. The events of the past two days caught up to her and she realized that she could not stay on her feet any longer. She quickly left the bathroom and returned to the main room where Adora sat in her own sleep clothes.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the couch," Adora said and Catra was too tired to argue.

Catra made her way on shaky feet over to the large, round bed and sat down on it as Adora turned off the lights in her room. The feline's eyes adjusted quickly to the change in lighting and she watched as Adora stumbled over to her makeshift bed. Catra allowed herself to lay down on the soft surface, pulling the blankets up and over her as if they would protect her from the situation she found herself in.

"Goodnight, Catra." Adora said quietly, but Catra heard it.

Catra lay on the bed, silent, until Adora's breathing evened out. Her eyes stared unseeing up at the ceiling and she realized that she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do from this point on.

"Goodnight, Adora." Catra murmured as she allowed her eyes to close and her body to relax into sleep.

_______________

It was not easy living in Bright Moon.

Not for a long time.

For the first few months, despite Catra technically being under Adora's own protection, Catra was shadowed by guards everywhere she went. Taunts and death threats followed her, and for a long time she did not stray far from Adora's wing in the castle. The people were angry with her, the queen and the princess did not trust her, and Adora still looked at her as if she were a mirage.

She found reprieve from the glares and the anger in one of the castle's obscure gardens.

Although Catra technically was free to come and go as she pleased, everyone knew the truth: Catra was a prisoner. Adora was probably the only person under the assumption that Catra had free will, and that was only because the others hid their behavior from her. Catra was too tired from war to care about the hurtful things they hurled at her when Adora was out of earshot. But, Catra had been sneaking out under Shadow Weaver's nose for years before Adora became She-Ra and the whole mess had begun. So, it was really far too easy for her to ditch the armed guards that followed her. It was just by happenstance that she had found the garden.

Catra had been wandering around, late into the night when she could not sleep and even the relaxing, systematic puffs of Adora's breath could soothe her. She had not been paying attention to where she was walking, when she had stumbled upon the entrance to what looked like a maze. It was one of those mazes that were built using tall hedges of plant, and Catra's curiosity overwhelmed her into solving the maze.

It had taken a few days of repeatedly attempting the maze until she had finally found its center.

She was glad she did.

At the center of the maze lay one of the most beautiful gardens Catra had ever seen... not that she had truly ever seen a garden, that is. But Catra had always been intrigued by plants and captivated by the sweet scents and soft petals of a flower, and she could not help but become enraptured with the place.

Large fountains of water were space out around the garden, taking the forms of people that had been prominent in Bright Moon's history. They were sculpted from gorgeous rare stones, but they did not compare to the beauty that was the flowers around them. Every flower grew beside a plaque stating its name and where it came from, and even a blurb about what the flower means in 'flower language'. Catra began to spend her nights memorizing every flower within the garden, purely out of interest.

When Adora had confronted Catra about her late night wanderings, Catra could not help but want to keep her little place a secret.

" _I know you leave the castle when I fall asleep, Catra_ ," Adora had cried out, pacing in front of the feline with red cheeks and wide eyes. " _I want to trust you, I really do! Please, please tell me my trust is not misguided. Tell me you aren't doing anything malicious while you're gone_."

Catra had looked at her, and she felt bad for Adora. Adora was the only reason Catra was still alive, and yet Catra was putting her in jeopardy by sneaking away every night without telling her where she was going. Catra may be Bright Moon's prisoner, but she was still Adora's friend.

" _You can trust me, Adora. I swear you can_." Catra had told her, heart bared wide and eyes dewy with tears that she would not let fall.

" _That's... that's all I need. I trust you_." Adora had told her, quietly, before offering Catra one of Adora's tiny shy smiles that still managed to light up a room. Catra never wanted to break that trust again.

So, Catra did what any person would do when they are in love with their best friend turned enemy turned... whatever they are now.

She started leaving flowers at Adora's bedside for her to wake up to in the morning.

But, of course, she did not just leave any flower beside Adora's pillow every night. No, Catra was too hopelessly in love to do something as simple as that.

A red carnation had been first.

A purple aster had been next.

A pink orchid, a purple hyacinth, a moss rosebud...

The list went on and on as Catra gifted Adora a flower each night. Each flower told Adora in a secret language of Catra's love and devotion to her. Even if the blonde would never understand the presents that Catra left for her to wake up to, it was a way to release all of the feelings that had stayed buried within Catra for so long. There was no way that Adora would know the language of the flowers, and that was probably why it was so easy for Catra to bare her soul through the stolen flowers. There was no chance of her being discovered.

Of course, it had never been that simple.

_____________

Catra walked into the room she shared with Adora, and immediately felt as if something was off.

Adora sat on the edge of her bed, back straight and shoulders pushed back. Her entire body language screamed tense, and Catra paused in the doorway as her nose twitched at the scent of Adora's distress and confusion.

"Are you... alright?" Catra asked the blonde girl, confused. When she spoke, she seemed to knock Adora out of a trance and the other girl jumped a little in shock.

"Yes! I mean, yeah. I'm alright." Adora chuckled nervously. But, she must have thought better of herself, because her shoulders slumped and she sighed out, "No, I'm not."

"Do you want to talk about it?" The feline let her words trail out, her confusion growing as Adora began to twitch in her seat, obviously holding something back from the other.

"Well, you see... I was talking to my friends about the flowers you keep leaving me! Because they are lovely, you know?" Adora started, taking a deep breath before continuing to plow through her words. "And the fact that you give them to me is so kind! But, Perfuma started asking me about what flowers you were giving me exactly, so I started showing her... and she told me. About the meanings behind the flowers. And I don't know if you meant to give me those flowers or if it was just a coincidence that they all had to do with what they did-"

"I meant them."

"Oh."

Catra winced. Adora noticed, and her eyes widened.

"You love me?" Adora asked, her eyes wide and vulnerable.

"I- Yeah," Catra snorted, but her eyes were wet. "Even when you left. Especially after you left."

But Catra could not say much else, because then her lips were covered by Adora's own and Catra's hands were coming up to twist into Adora's hair and...

It was amazing.

She had not realized how much she had craved this, needed this, needed her. Catra's shoulders relaxed as she pushed deeper into the kiss, shifting her fingers gently through Adora's blonde hair. Adora murmured a soothing noise, and she gentled the kiss from its bruising pace to something soft, loving. Adora pet at Catra's hips with her hands, smiling as Catra's tongue poked out to run across Adora's bottom lip. Catra pulled back, far too soon for her liking, in order to catch her breath.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long," Adora smiled, gazing into Catra's eyes with the happiest expression Catra had ever seen her express. "I've missed being close to you, Catra."

"I... I've wanted this, too," Catra confessed, glancing down at her feet shyly. "Wanted you."

"You have me." Adora said, and Catra believed her.

**Author's Note:**

> so, anyways, tell me what you thought! i have the second part semi-written but i might just leave the story as-is if nobody really reads it. :") kudos & comments are my fuel hehe x
> 
> p.s. i love glimmer a LOT & she was only trying to be the voice of reason bc she doesn't want to see adora hurt! :"(((


End file.
